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| Remembering Yashodhra – the Maharani of Jammu | | | Khshma Parimu
Yashodhra Raje Lakshmi and I constituted a twosome mutual benefit society. I made her qualify her university exams and she prepared me for the examination of life. I did the theory part and she made things vivid by practical demonstration.
It would be interesting to pen down a few incidents that haunt my memory and sadden me that Yashodhra is no more with us.
In 1958-60, I was working in the Teachers’ Training College Jammu, when I took the responsibility to prepare Dr. Karan Singh’s newly wed wife for her exams. My college started at 10.00 AM and that made it incumbent on me to reach Hari Nivas Palace at 8.00. I had to hurriedly return home for a quick breakfast and then rush to the college to be there in time.
It was quite tough and a bit of bother.
Yashodhra realized this and suggested that I better had breakfast at the palace itself and then drive straight to the college. I agreed.
“How many eggs?” she quizzed. “One egg, a toast and a cup of tea.” I replied. “Can’t you have two eggs, its going to be a long-haul till lunch”, she remonstrated. I strongly insisted that two eggs would be very heavy for a fragile person like me to digest.
The system suited me and I happily enjoyed my routine breakfast of an omelette, a toast and a cup of tea in the palace. After about six months Yashodhra reiterated if I should have two eggs instead of one. I told her no.
All this while the omelettes served were suspiciously big, but I attributed this size to electric beating and went on eating merrily.
Then one sad morning came the revelation. She chuckled and said eating two eggs that you have been doing all these days does not seem to have done you any ill.”
I was flabbergasted but appreciated her sense of humour, an essentiality to go through life, which in Khushwant Singh’s words is always half soda and half pani.
Another time Yashodhara had finished one of her examinations. Dr. Karan Singh had gone to Kangra to visit his mother. He telephoned to know how Yashodhara had fared. Before I could say anything she ran away leaving me alone. She explained afterwards that she wanted me to be free to say anything against her, if I so desired.
She had a lovely little parasol accommodation in her purse. She took it out perhaps to tease me as I looked at it longingly ‘Ha ha! I won’t give it to you.’
Another of her cardinal qualities was her intense love for animals. One day, I found her holding the tiny little daughter of hers by ears. She was trying to make her realize that rabbits are pained when held in that precarious position.
I cannot wrench her out of my memory try as I might.
She was a brave woman, a great kind soul. I don’t know how she felt about me, but to me she was an asset, a likeable companion, a healthy impact.
I would entrench her in my innermost being and cherish her.
Did she know that I loved her and longed to be together with her. Togetherness is the rhythm of true friendship. May her soul rest in peace Amen !
(Kshama Parimu, 94, retired as Principal of College of Education Jammu. She taught Mrs.Yashodhra Raje Laxmi, Dr.Karan Singh's wife in 1958-62. This piece is based on personal memories)
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